Thursday, January 27, 2011

You know the community loves you when...

...someone from your email list randomly prints your Craft Supply Swap email and posts it on the bulletin board at JoAnn's!



Flint Handmade would like to thank the anonymous craft lover who posted this for us at the Courtland Center JoAnn's last year. 

We appreciate your support!


If anyone else wants to print and post promotional materials for our upcoming Craft Supply Swap on Sunday, February 6 from noon-3pm at The Lunch Studio, please feel free! 

Email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we'll send you the flyer in JPG and/or PDF.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Help Flint Handmade Raise Funds at the 2011 Cool City Art Auction!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

Flint Handmade relies on the funds we raise at the Cool City Art Auction to host our FREE craft events and we hope you will support our efforts in one of the following four ways:

1) Purchase a ticket to the Auction!
Get your tickets at The Lunch Studio or by contacting us via email or facebook! We keep the proceeds from all tickets we sell.

2) Donate a handmade item!
We accept any handmade art or craft item in good condition. It can be made by you or someone else. If you received a handmade gift for the holidays that you just don't want or need, donate it to Flint Handmade!

3) Donate a gift certificate to a local business!
Do you own a business in Flint or the surrounding area? Do you shop locally and want to purchase a gift certificate for Flint Handmade? We accept gift certificates in any denomination!

4) Donate a handmade or collectible Wizard of Oz Item!
At the 2010 Cool City Art Auction, we had a Marilyn Monroe themed table. For 2011, we are doing a Wizard of Oz themed table!


All donations can be dropped off at the lunch counter at The Lunch Studio or at any Flint Handmade event.  Email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com if you would like to mail your donation.

Please be sure to include your name, email/phone and the value of the item with your donation.

In exchange for your donation valued at $25 or more, you will receive a complimentary ticket to the Art Auction!!!

The 2011 Cool City Art Auction will be held on Friday, March 25 from 5-10pm in Downtown Flint.

Stay tuned for more information!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Get Your Valentine's Day Gifts at the Flint Handmade Shop in The Lunch Studio!‏


Want to get your sweetheart something special for Valentine's Day?

Visit the Flint Handmade Shop in The Lunch Studio
for the perfect Valentine's Day cards and gifts!

handmade goods from the following local crafters:



AND MORE!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Second Saturday Giveaway: January Winner!

We want to thank everyone who commented on our January Second Saturday Giveaway featuring the Flint Handmade Knuckles Prize Pack!

The awesome commenters for January were sarah, DesiAnima, Jeremy Benson, nayyirah, Lisa, Jocey, Robert Burack, ttishbite, Cecelia Waisanen Parks, DamselFish, Dan Gerics, allison_post, melissa, Amanda, Tessie, dovey, ASHLEY, Kel Leigh, Ali, stephgoodell, Traci Currie, Jeanette Brewer and Hayley. We appreciate all of your wonderful suggestions for new Knuckles Merchandise!

Just for commenting, all of you will receive a FREE Flint Handmade button in your choice of red, blue or yellow! Ask at the Flint Handmade table at any craftLAB or Craft Market and we'll make sure you get your button.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! The randomly selected winner of the Flint Handmade Knuckles Prize Pack is...


...Amanda!!!  Congratulations!

Amanda, send us an email at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will make arrangements for you to receive your Flint Handmade Knuckles Prize Pack!

If you want to purchase your own Knuckles Merchandise, visit our Flint Handmade Etsy Shop!

We want to encourage everyone to participate in the next Second Saturday Giveaway to be posted on February 12, 2011 when we feature Kate Kehoe of Chicaloo Photography and More!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Flint Handmade 2011 Calendar of Events

We're bringing you an entire year of FREE craft events in Downtown Flint!  Mark your calendars!

Flint Handmade 2011 Calendar of Events

Sunday, January 2: craftLAB: Holiday Card Paper Globe Ornaments

Sunday, February 6: craftLAB: Craft Supply Swap

Sunday, March 6: craftLAB: Yudu Demo and Cupcakes for National Craft Month
Friday, March 25: Cool City Art Auction @ The Lunch Studio (5pm-10pm)

Sunday, April 3: craftLAB: Upcycled Milk Cap Wrist Pincushions

Sunday, May 1: craftLAB: T-Shirt ReDesign
Saturday, May 7: Spring Craft Market (Location and Time TBA)

Sunday, June 5: craftLAB: Basic Crocheting

Sunday, July 3: craftLAB: CANCELLED FOR 4th OF JULY

Sunday, August 7: craftLAB: Craft Supply Swap

Sunday, September 4: craftLAB: CANCELLED FOR LABOR DAY
Thursday-Saturday, September 8-10: Flint Festival of Quilts @ The Lunch Studio (9am-5pm Daily)

Sunday, October 2: craftLAB: TBA

Sunday, November 6: craftLAB: TBA
Saturday, November 26: Holiday Craft Market (Location and Time TBA)

Sunday, December 4: craftLAB: TBA

Stay tuned to the blog for more information!

NOTE: All craftLABs are hosted at The Lunch Studio from noon-3pm.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sneak Peak at Flint Handmade Items for 2011 Cool City Art Auction!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

Flint Handmade would like to give a very special thanks to all of the fabulous vendors at the 2010 Holiday Craft Market who donated handmade items in advance for the Cool City Art Auction on March 25, 2011!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the donated items!

Framed Senate Theatre Print by Perfect Laughter


Radio Tube Bug by Deets

Upcycled Wine Bag by Altered Goods

Vintage Roller Skate Ad Keychain by Fartsy Arts

Vintage Zipper Brooch by Re-Zip It

White Flower Earrings by White Lily Jewelry


At the 2010 Cool City Art Auction, Flint Handmade raised over $1,000 to support the FREE handcrafting events and workshops that we bring to the community!

If you have a handmade item or a gift certificate for a local business that you would like to donate to Flint Handmade, please comment here, email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com or just drop off the item to The Lunch Studio during their regular business hours.  In exchange for your donation, you will receive a complimentary ticket to the Auction valued at $25!

We will be posting more information about the 2011 Cool City Art Auction very soon.  Stay tuned!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Second Saturday Giveaway: Win a Flint Handmade Knuckles Prize Pack!

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

For our January 2011 Second Saturday Giveaway, we are doing something very special. 

We are taking this month off from featuring the workspaces of local crafters so that we can give away a Flint Handmade Knuckles Prize Pack valued at $40+!

The Prize Pack includes:

One Item of Flint Handmade Apparel (Your Choice of Onesie, Toddler/Youth Shirt or Adult Shirt)

One Flint Handmade Tote Bag

One Flint Handmade Notebook

One Flint Handmade Knit Cap

Three Flint Handmade Buttons (One Each of Red, Blue and Yellow)

For YOUR chance to win a Flint Handmade Knuckles Prize Pack (valued at $40+), just complete steps A and B:

A) Follow Flint Handmade via the blog, Twitter, Google Reader or whatever newfangled "following application" tickles your fancy. Or, if you don't do the whole following thing, email us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com and we will add you to our email list.

B) Leave us a comment in response to this blog post by 5pm on Saturday, January 15, 2011 answering the following 2 questions:

1) How do you follow us?

2) What type of Flint Handmade Knuckles Merchandise would you like to see in the future?

Please be sure to answer BOTH questions to qualify for the drawing.

The winner will be selected at random and posted on the blog within one week after the deadline. We hope to hear from YOU!

P.S. If you are interested in purchasing Knuckles Merchandise, please visit our Flint Handmade Etsy Store.

P.P.S. We will return to featuring the workspaces of local crafters next month, so be sure to check the blog on February 12, 2011 when we will be giving away more fabulous handmade items!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Not Buying It Update 1: Measuring My Success

Posted by Crystal Pepperdine, Founder and Executive Director of Flint Handmade

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive (online and in real life) of the Not Buying It Project I am undertaking in 2011. 

I really appreciate the positive feedback I am getting in person and the comments you left on my first post about my choice to opt out of the cash economy and into the creative economy.

I know we are only 6 days into the new year, but I already feel so much more connected to my creativity. 

Ideas are swirling around in my brain about all of the crafty projects I want to do with the materials I already have on hand or hope to pick up at the Craft Supply Swap in February.  


I have already started working on pistachio shell flower brooches (shown above) and my next project will be picture frame dry erase boards with pretty fabric behind the glass.

I have been thinking about how I want to measure my success at the Not Buying It Project.  I decided that it's not enough for me to just tally up all the money I am hoping to save.  I want to take a more holistic approach, so I will be measuring my success according to 5 variables:

1) Money Saved - My goal is to purchase a $1,000 Certificate of Deposit at the beginning of each month when I get paid.  In the past, I have tried to save whatever money I had leftover at end of the month, but it's better to just save it upfront.  As long as I don't have to tap into the CD or take money out of my Savings Account, I will have met my Money Saved goal for the month.

2) Pounds Lost - Those of you who know me personally know that my weight tends to go up and down.  I feel fairly comfortable with my current weight, but I would still like to lose about 15-25 pounds.  My goal is to lose 1 pound per week until I reach a weight/size that feels completely comfortable.  So, I am going to be thinking very carefully about which groceries are a necessity and which groceries are a luxury. 

3) Bags Donated - I own a lot of stuff.  Most of my possessions (e.g. my book collection, craft supplies, kitchen gadgets, etc.) contribute positively to my life.  My home is well-decorated and comfortable and I don't feel like I really need anything else at this point in my life.  However, my garage and especially my basement are cluttered with items that are of no real use to me, but could be valuable to others if I just took the time to clear out these areas and donate what I don't want to Goodwill.  My goal is to donate at least 1 bag (about the size of a 13 gallon trash bag) per month, if not more, to those in need.

4) Projects Completed - I have a lot of craft projects and projects around my house/yard that need to get done.  Since I won't be spending time buying things and figuring out where to put them in my already cozy home, I think I will have more time to do all of the projects that I have been wanting to do.  My goal is to finish 5 craft or house/yard projects per month.

5) Reserves Spent - I got a $400 bonus at the end of 2010.  I decided to keep it tucked away just in case there is something that I absolutely feel I cannot live without in 2011.  I was mostly concerned that there would be gifts that I wanted to buy for my loved ones or craft supplies that I needed to finish a project.  My goal is to use as little of this money as possible.

At the start and end of each month, I will post a simple "by the numbers" chart to track my monthly and total year-to-date progress.  For the begining of January, the chart is as follows:

January 2011 Start
Money Saved: 0 (Total Saved: 0)
Pounds Lost: 0 (Total Lost: 0)
Bags Donated: 0 (Total Donated: 0)
Projects Completed: 0 (Total Completed: 0)
Reserves Spent: 0 (Total Spent: 0)
 
At the end of January, I would like the chart to look like this:
 
January 2011 End
Money Saved: $1,000 (Total Saved: $1,000)
Pounds Lost: 4 (Total Lost: 4)
Bags Donated: 1 (Total Donated: 1)
Projects Completed: 5 (Total Completed: 5)
Reserves Spent: 0 (Total Spent: 0)

Wish me luck!

P.S. I want to take a moment to acknowledge my gratitute to Judith Levine who wrote a book called Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping.  I checked this book out from the Flint Public Library about 5 years ago and fell in love with the idea of going a year without buying anything unnecessary.  I am so glad that 2011 is finally going to be that year for me!

Since I couldn't stand the idea of buying a book about not buying anything, I got my own copy of the book through PaperBackSwap.  I would encourage anyone else who is interested in giving up shopping to read this book immediately!


P.P.S. Here's another Swap you may be interested in!  :)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

January 2011 craftLAB Recap: Paper Globe Ornaments

Thank you so much to everyone who came out for craftLAB on Sunday! 

We had so much fun making paper globe ornaments out of old holiday cards!

Even babies love crafting!

So many happy crafty smiles!

Jeanette loves her paper globe ornament! 

Sue came to craftLAB to learn how to make paper globe ornaments to take the project back to her church...we love when our ideas get out into the community!

Maureen was so excited about the project that she made two ornaments!

Allie put her paper globe on a knitting needle and plans to make paper globe flower bouquets and topiaries.  Special thanks to Nicole for the awesome bouquet idea!

Stephanie, Leo and Lisa were experts by the end of the workshop!

For more photos, visit our craftLAB: january 2011 Flickr Set.

We hope to see you at craftLAB in February for the first Craft Supply Swap of 2011!